Some Sunday nights don’t just fill the airwaves — they reset the national temperature.
This week’s SHAKE IT OFF WITH MERT & LUCAS, LIVE! brings two voices who confront the forces reshaping American life from radically different vantage points. From the street-level realities of addiction to the policy battles defining public safety, it’s a two-hour broadcast that refuses to look away.
Hour 1: Jonathan Tepper — Author, SHOOTING UP
We open with Jonathan Tepper, whose new book Shooting Up returns to his childhood in Madrid’s heroin‑ravaged San Blas neighborhood, where his parents founded a drug rehabilitation center and the addicts he grew up with—nearly all HIV‑positive—became his friends, teachers, and losses. A writer with a reporter’s precision and a survivor’s clarity, Tepper traces how a boy shaped by death, loyalty, and literature came to understand the systems that fail, the communities that fracture, and the people who keep fighting to survive.
Expect a conversation that is unflinching, empathetic, and grounded in realities most policymakers only gesture toward.
Hour 2: Justin Keener — President, Americans for Public Safety
Then we shift into the policy arena with Justin Keener, President of Americans for Public Safety, whose work sits at the intersection of crime, accountability, and community protection. Keener brings a data-driven lens to the national debate, examining what’s working, what isn’t, and what the public is demanding from leaders at every level.
This hour promises clarity, candor, and a sober look at the stakes for cities, families, and the future of public safety.
About the Hosts
• Lucas A. Ferrara — New York attorney, law professor, award‑winning film producer, and editorial strategist. Lucas blends legal insight with narrative precision, shaping conversations that cut through noise and get to the marrow of the moment.
• Mert Roberts — A seasoned commentator whose wit, clarity, and grounded analysis keep every discussion sharp, surprising, and unmistakably alive.
Tune In
LIVE on AM970 Radio or the AM970 mobile app | Sunday, April 26 | 7–9 PM (Eastern)
Replays stream everywhere: Apple, Amazon, iHeart, Spotify, and more.
More info: shakeitofflive.com
Some shows entertain. This one reminds you why live conversation still matters — because when the right voices meet at the right moment, something shifts.
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You can also find the show playing here:
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To view a list of some of Lucas's other projects, click here: https://linktr.ee/lucasaferrara
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